Grammy President Addresses Lauryn Hill’s Canceled Performance

Tim Mosenfelder/FilmMagicEarlier this week, Lauryn Hill‘s camp revealed her surprise Grammy performance with The Weeknd was “prematurely announced” and “unable to come to fruition” due to its “last minute nature.” However, the Recording Academy’s President Neil Portnow says that those claims are inaccurate.

“It’s a disappointment to us and a disappointment to her,” Portnow tells USA Today of Hill’s absence. “Our intention was, and we were ready, right up to the moment of the performance, for her to step up on stage.”

It seems that after a dress rehearsal, Hill never made it back in time for the ceremony. “She was there for it, completed it and left the building,” Portnow recalled. “And then she did not get back in time to make the show. I’m sorry, that’s the bottom line. That’s the truth. That’s unfortunate. I guess those things happen.”

Ultimately, The Weeknd ended up taking the Grammy stage alone to perform his hits “Can’t Feel My Face” and “In the Night,” both from his Grammy-winning album, Beauty Behind the Madness.